Pierrot Lunaire took a big step toward a possible steeplechase Eclipse Award when he came from off the pace to overtake Divine Fortune in the $250,000 Grand National (NSA-I) at New Jersey's 92nd Far Hills Races Oct. 20.

Mounting concerns over the safety of England's Grand National steeplechase have forced organizers to make modifications to the course following a review of the world's most grueling race after two horses died this year.

Great Britain's Aintree Racecourse announced Dec. 29 that for the second consecutive year, the purse for the John Smith's Grand National has increased by £100,000 to total £900,000 when the 4 1/2 mile steeplechase is contested April 4, 2009.

With foot-and-mouth disease cases in Britain moving beyond 1,100 and some 170 meetings canceled by the outbreak or the weather this winter, British racing needed some joy. At least there was the Martell Grand National, April 7, and the rescheduled Cheltenham Festival, April 17-19, to look forward to. Then, on April 2, it was announced Cheltenham was off again because of a foot and mouth outbreak nearby, putting the course in a British Horseracing Board-designated exclusion zone.

According to a Monday release from Aintree Racecourse, six horses from Ireland and four from France are scheduled to travel to England for the weekend race meet. A number of them are pointed at Saturday's running of the £500,000 Martell Grand National. Originally only horses based in England would be permitted to travel to Aintree for the races. Papillon, who won the race last year, is among the Irish-based horses reportedly headed to Aintree.

With the first case of foot-and-mouth disease confirmed in Ireland, and the British government now saying the situation will last for months, the scope of the highly contagious disease continues to widen.

First the Cheltenham meeting was cancelled in England, now the foot and mouth outbreak will cause Irish horses not to travel to the Grand National meeting on April 5. This is because the Irish government continues to ask the industry in the country not to ship horses or travel to the country until 30 days after the last confirmed outbreak of the highly contagious disease.